2024 Pont-Sondé attack
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (October 2024) |
| 2024 Pont-Sondé attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Gang war in Haiti | |
| Location | Pont-Sondé, Bocozelle communal section, Saint-Marc commune, Artibonite department, Haiti |
| Date | 3 October 2024 |
| Target | Haitian police personnel, civilians |
Attack type | Shooting, arson |
| Deaths | 70+ |
| Injured | 50+ |
| Perpetrator | Gran Grif |
| Gang war in Haiti |
|---|
| Background |
| Battles |
| Attacks |
On 3 October 2024 the town of Pont-Sondé was attacked by the Grand Grif gang, leaving at least 70 people dead[1] and at least 50 injured.[2] Thousands more fled the town after this latest attack in the ongoing gang war in Haiti.[3]
Background
[edit]The Gran Grif gang operates in the Artibonite Department and is considered one of Haiti’s cruelest gangs,[4] with its leaders, former MP Prophane Victor and Luckson Elan, having been sanctioned by the United States in September 2024.[5] Rumors of an impending attack on the town had been circulating since August 2024, after the gang accused residents of collaborating with a self-defense group called "The Coalition" and hindering the operations of a makeshift toll established by the gang on a road.[4]
Attack
[edit]The incident occurred on the morning of 3 October. The attackers entered the town using canoes[4] and met minimal resistance from police. Many of the dead were shot in the head by automatic rifles.[6] They include ten women and three infants.[4] The attackers also burned 45 houses and 34 vehicles[1] before fleeing by foot through a nearby farm.[4]
Many of the injured were taken to hospital in Saint-Marc, where the survivors also fled. A government prosecutor called the attack a massacre.[7][4] Around 3,000 people were displaced.[6]
Reactions
[edit]Prime Minister Garry Conille described the incident as a "heinous crime" and an attack on "the entire Haitian nation." The government ordered an elite police unit and medical supplies to Port-Sondé.[4]
United Nations Human Rights Office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said his agency was horrified by the attack.[6]
Luckson Elan blamed the government and Port-Sondé's inhabitants for the attack, accusing them of passivity during attacks on Gran Grif members.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Haitian Gang Slaughters at Least 70 People as Thousands Flee". US News & World Report. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ Rob Corp (4 October 2024). "Children among 70 killed in Haiti gang 'massacre'". BBC News.
- ^ "Thousands flee gang killings in Haiti breadbasket town, media reports". Reuters. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "This week's gang attack on a Haitian town killed more than 50 people, activist says". Associated Press. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ "At least 70 killed in gang attack on Haitian town, UN says". France 24. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d "At least 70 people killed in gang attack on Haitian town: UN". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ "A gang in Haiti has killed more than 20 and injured dozens after raiding a small town, official says". Associated Press. Retrieved 3 October 2024.